Always the third Thursday of the month, Folks Trails Hiking Club has free adventure walks through Historic Nevada City and its outlying neighborhoods. (Photo by Erin Thiem)Folks Trails Hiking Club and Outside Inn/Inn Town Campground invites history and nature lovers of all ages to join them on a series of urban hikes through historic Nevada City and its outlying neighborhoods. Led by Jesse Locks, a California Naturalist, founder of Folk Trails Hiking Club and certified in Wilderness First Aid, these hikes are perfect for both residents and visitors looking for a deeper understanding and connection to this beautiful and unique corner of the world. This is the third year that the organizations have teamed up to organize these "micro adventures." Over the last two years the hikes have attracted hundreds of locals and visitors."The hikes bring out locals, guests from the motel and the campground, and visitors to the area who are all interested in learning more about Nevada City's rich history," explained Erin Thiem, owner of the Outside Inn and Inn Town Campground, and curator of Visit Nevada City on Instagram. "Because of the variety of hikes over the year, we've had repeat guests as well as a range of folks who join us just once."A micro adventure is an adventure that is short, simple, local, cheap — yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding. Each hike varies in distance from two to four miles, but would be considered easy to moderate (Nevada City is known for its seven hills). Each hike is organized around the time of year to showcase the very best of what Nevada City has to offer. The hikes focus on subjects such as fall colors, architecture, historic figures, cemeteries, bird watching, Deer Creek and the Tribute Trail, and much more."The hiking series is a great collaboration of all things Nevada City, both for locals and visitors," said Thiem. "It forces you to stop and appreciate the small details around town that you might otherwise miss."To prepare for each hike, Locks spends countless hours reading and researching books, websites, and libraries, along with interviewing local old timers.​"It's a lot of fun for me to do the research and because so many people come back every month, I'm always trying to keep it fresh and new," said Locks. "It's important to both Erin and I, that people learn the history of our community, but it's more important to us that they get outside, meet new people, and build relationships with their neighbors and community. We want people to care about and love Nevada City as much as we do."From October to April the hikes start at the Outside Inn, 575 Broad Street, in Nevada City. May to September they begin at the Inn Town Campground, 9 Kidder Court, Nevada City. Non-guests of both the Outside Inn and Inn Town Campground should park off-site at either a public parking lot or on a nearby street.Hikers are suggested to bring water, snacks if needed, and proper footwear, dress in layers and of course, their camera. Each hike happens during the day's "magic hour" when the light is filtered and beautiful, making for perfect photos. The hike is free and open to anyone who's interested in joining.